One of the Middle East’s ‘mystery aircraft’ was this Polish-made RWD-13. In early 1939, Greek businessman Andrea Papadopoulos sold three RWD-13s to Imam Yahya of Yemen. One was flown to Sana’a in July 1939, and given the registration YEMEN-2. The other two were never accepted and, as of May 1943, were still in their delivery crates at the Yemeni port of Hudayah. Apparently acquired by an unknown party – perhaps the Egypt Air Transport Co. (a subsidiary of Misr Airworks) – one was operated by in 1947 with the Egyptian civilian registration SU-ADR. The other was purchased by Aviron, a front of the Sherut Avir (subsequently the Israeli Air Force) and received the Palestinian registration VQ-PAM. SU-ADR was flown by Captain Muhi al-Din Susah to Syria, in April 1947, where it was photographed with pilots of the SyAAF. On the flight back, the aircraft came under fire from the Zionists, strayed over a closed British military zone and was forced to land. Susah was eventually returned to Egypt via the Red Cross, but his RWD-13 was incorporated into the Sherut Air with the registration VQ-PAL. Its subsequent fate remains unknown. (Artwork by Peter Penev)